African nations step up efforts to prevent spread of coronavirus

摘要

AS PEOPLE start to pick up the coronavirus in countries other than China, fears are rising that it could explode somewhere less able to contain it. African countries, many of which have strong trade links with China but limited healthcare infrastructures, are of particular concern. As of 11 February, no case had yet been diagnosed in Africa, but the continent is bracing for its arrival. A recent African Union workshop in Dakar, Senegal, trained lab technicians from 15 countries in how to test for the virus. Last week, only two public health labs on the continent, in Senegal and South Africa, could test for the coronavirus. By the end of this week, 29 countries will be able to. "A month ago, I wouldn't have said this, but now I think we will be able to catch cases," says John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.